The Gear You Need for a New Year (and a New You)

Let’s be real: You may or may not keep the New Year’s resolutions you made, but the start of a new year is as good as any opportunity for a fresh start.

So whether you’re headed to the gym for the first time in six months, or you’re planning to make some headway on your to-do list, here are a few things to help you along. They’ll let you focus more on getting things done and less on getting ready to get things done.

A gym tip you never knew you needed

If going to the gym, or just working out, is a priority this year, you don’t need me to tell you what sweats to buy, or that you’ll need gym clothes. But make sure you get a good gym bag, pack it with your gear and leave it somewhere conspicuous.

My best “make sure you actually go to the gym” hack has always been to pre-pack my gym bag with the things I need for a good workout (you know, a good water bottle, workout headphones, a quick-drying towel) and leave the bag somewhere I’ll virtually trip over. When I drove to work, I kept it in the back seat, where I normally toss my laptop bag after a long day, which reminded me I should hit the gym before returning home. Now that I commute by train, I leave it next to the door so it stares at me when I walk in after work.

Go ahead and get all the new gym gear you want if it’ll help motivate you to work out, but don’t trust yourself to remember to use it. Give your willpower a little boost from past you. Future you will thank you for it.

A few upgrades for a good night’s sleep

If there’s anything I would recommend we all do in 2019, it’s get not just more sleep, but better sleep. What good is getting 10 hours of sleep if you still wake up feeling like everything hurts and you’re dying?

Another key trick is finding a good eye mask. Wirecutter likes the Nidra Deep Rest, which I can also vouch for, especially when traveling. If the whole “eye cup” design puts you off, it also mentions the Alaska Bear, which is super soft and flat, and the mask I use when I’ve lost the Deep Rest somewhere under my bed or between my pillows.

The new year is also a great time to refresh your bedding, so consider grabbing some fresh, crisp sheets and new pillows. You can probably even find some linen sales right about now — they’re usually called “white sales,” and January is full of them. Total darkness, crisp bedding and a fluffy pillow will make sure that the hours you do spend in bed are quality ones — ones you can regularly wake up refreshed from this year.